A Holiday Well Spent: A Day of Food, Culture, and Festivity

Holidays are the best days of our lives as teachers. It would be the perfect time to relax or spend the day with your family.

Our province was proclaiming September 17 as a legal, non-working holiday, giving emphasis on the grand celebration of our Araw ng Zamboanga del Sur. This is to celebrate the unity and the bountiful harvest of our province amidst biodiversity. Our province is the nest of Moros, Subanens, and the local settlers (the Christians), united and caring for each other and embracing the differences.

I woke up early that morning, though I only had 4 hours of sleep that night when I watched the Miss Zamboanga del Sur Coronation Night live via Facebook. I washed up and went straight to the kitchen, and cooked my savory and tender pork ribs while the kids were still sleeping.

After breakfast, I went to the Ukay-ukay store (thrift store of used clothes, bags, and shoes) a few meters away from our home and found this beautiful pair of sneakers for only 50 pesos. I was so happy because this still looks beautiful and has no damage aside from its signs of usage, which is common since these are already used items from another country. And I wear it today.

After paying for my shoes at the counter, I was full of sweat all over, hahahahah, imagine burying myself in those big boxes of ukay-ukay, and I felt thirsty. Beside the thrift store is a cake shop, so I went inside and bought a cake in a cup. That was so delicious, and the sweetness was just enough. I ate inside the shop, sitting on their couch.

I arrived home before lunch and immediately prepared kinilaw na tangigue. It is my partner's favorite, along with fish stew. They really enjoyed the food I cooked, and the kids loved the stew very much that it ended up in an empty rice cooker, hahahaha.

In the afternoon, I was sitting in our living room the whole time, watching the Megayon Festival live via Facebook, too. The 19 contingents of that grand and the most highly anticipated activity of the event showed impressive performances. The performances showcased a beautiful history, a diverse, colorful culture, and the incomparable faith of people in Zamboanga del Sur.

The 5-hour festival showcase ended with fireworks. And though I was not really there in the venue, I could feel how proud the Zambians are. I may not be an original Zambosurian, but I truly feel at home here. They embrace differences, which I personally experienced; they are heartwarming, friendly, and accommodating. If I have to choose where to live in the future, I will always choose Zamboanga del Sur.

That was how I spent my holiday yesterday, and today, I'm here, feeling anew, fresh, and more relaxed. Thanks for that one-day non-working holiday. One day is not enough to celebrate everything this province has to offer, but it was more than enough to make me feel grateful, happy, and recharged.